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☆ A loneliness epidemic is spreading worldwide. Seoul is spending $327 million to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-24 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Every year, thousands of South Koreans – mostly middle-aged men – die quietly and alone, cut off from their family and friends. “Loneliness and isolation are not just individual problems, but tasks that society must solve together,” Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a news release. The phenomenon, known by the Japanese term “hikikomori,” has become increasingly common; South Korea had up to 244,000 such recluses in 2022 by one estimate. A Buddhist nun and staff of Good Nanum hold the name tablets of three deceased people before their cremation on June 16, 2016 in Goyang, South Korea. However, when asked about what makes them feel lonely, “there are some differences compared to other countries,” she said.

Persons: –, hoon, ”, Soo, Myongji University – cautioning, Nanum, Jean Chung, “, they’re, Anthony Wallace, … Organizations: CNN, Koreans, Myongji University, Ministry of Health, Getty, Government, Prevention, Management, Korea isn’t, United, World Health Organization Locations: Seoul, Korea, South Korea, Goyang, “, South Koreans, South, AFP, Japan, United Kingdom

☆ China launches survey to understand ‘fear of having children’
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

China’s National Health Commission (NHC) is surveying 30,000 people to understand factors influencing their attitudes towards childbearing and the “fear surrounding having children”, as authorities struggle to boost a flagging birthrate. The survey will include people from 150 counties in China and 1,500 different communities, the state-backed Global Times said late on Thursday, citing the China Population and Development Research Center, which falls under the NHC. Beijing is trying to encourage young couples to have children after China posted a second consecutive year of population decline in 2023. The survey aims to analyze “reluctance and fear surrounding having children” and ultimately provide fertility support and incentive measures, the newspaper said. It comes after China’s National Bureau of Statistics said it will conduct a nationwide sample survey from Oct. 10-Nov. 30 to monitor population changes.

Persons: ” Organizations: Health Commission, Global Times, Development Research Center, NHC, National Bureau of Statistics Locations: China, Beijing

☆ How immigration reform will supercharge the labor market, reduce national debt by over $600 billion in the next 2 decades: Research Affiliates CIO
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Christine Ji | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Research Affiliates CIO Chris Brightman believes immigration reform is needed to boost the economy. One proposed policy is projected to energize the labor market and liquidate $0.6 trillion in debt. But to one chief investment officer, immigration policy isn't a matter of political debate — it's an economic nonnegotiable. A declining population brings with it a declining labor force. Immigration policy solutionsBrightman sees the need for more friendly immigration policies such as providing permanent residency to immigrants who graduate from US universities.

Persons: Chris Brightman, —, Brightman, they're Organizations: Research, Service, Social Security, Medicare, Immigrants, Penn Wharton Budget, Immigration Locations: Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, outlays

☆ Opinion | Is It Weird to Care About the Birthrate?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Even when the cats are left out of it, alas, the problem of weirdness is a chronic one for pro-natalists. This is not to concede that it is actually weird to care about the birthrate: Children are good, human beings are good, a prosperous future for the human race is good, and it’s absurd not to care about looming depopulation and all the social and economic problems that come trailing in its wake. Future generations (to the extent that they exist!) will find it much, much stranger that so many people barely noticed this issue or dismissed it than that a Republican vice-presidential candidate once floated giving children political representation through their parents. But if you are a pro-natalist, you still have to understand the reasons an aura of weirdness hangs over the idea.

Persons: Vance, — Organizations: Democratic, Trump, Republican Locations: United States

☆ The South's economic boom is masking a harsher reality. It still has several of the poorest states in the nation.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In June, the financial services company WalletHub ranked the 50 states and DC across three categories: economic activity, economic health, and innovation potential. The Economic Policy Institute pointed to low minimum wages and unionization rates in Southern states as two factors keeping pay down. Of course, workers in some Southern states earn less than others. Using US Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the analysis highlighted the average annual wages across US states as of 2022. Only two Southern states — Louisiana and West Virginia — were among the eight US states that saw their populations decline between 2022 and 2023.

Persons: —, Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, Chandra Childers, it's, West Virginia — Organizations: Service, West Virginia —, of Columbia, WalletHub, Business, South :, Workers, Economic Policy Institute, Southern, Economic, Economic Innovation, Peterson Institute for International Economics, of, of Labor Statistics, Institute, Texans, Dallas Fed Locations: Southern, Delaware , Maryland, Virginia, West, South, South : Mississippi, West Virginia , Arkansas , Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia , Arkansas , Alabama, South Carolina, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Midwest, Mississippi, Hawaii, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, South : Texas, Florida, North Carolina , Georgia, Tennessee, — Louisiana, West Virginia

☆ As Many South Koreans Shun Marriage, Two Women Try to Redefine Family
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The event was to celebrate and discuss the book written by Hwang Sunwoo and Kim Hana, both 47, about their life together as single women in South Korea. He told the two women that they were making the country’s birthrate, already the world’s lowest, even worse. But with millions of South Koreans shunning the institution of marriage, the family-centered support system is rapidly unraveling. The nation’s quality of support network — measured by whether people have someone to rely on in a time of need — is the lowest among developed nations. South Korea also has the highest suicide rate among those nations.

Persons: Hwang Sunwoo, Kim Hana, ” Ms, Hwang, “, ” Locations: South Korea

☆ Young families are still fleeing major cities in huge numbers, a 'big surprise' for metros trying to escape the urban doom loop
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewWhen the pandemic hit, young families fled cities across the US in droves. Overall, domestic out-migration from big cities is still double the rate it was pre-pandemic. "This data is three years out from the start of the pandemic, cities have started to recover robustly on a bunch of different measures." Families with kids under six years old are more than twice as likely to leave New York City than families without young kids, the Fiscal Policy Institute found. Some exurbs — particularly in the pro-development Sunbelt — are seeing young families flood in.

Persons: —, Connor O'Brien, EIG, O'Brien, millennials Organizations: Service, Economic Innovation Group, Business, New York City Locations: exurbs, New York, Chicago's Cook County, San Francisco, Los Angeles, nation's, downtowns, New York City, Exurban, Polk County , Florida, Orlando, Tampa, Montgomery County , Texas, Houston

☆ Is This Vibrant Democracy in Japan, or Has the Circus Come to Town?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Motoko Rich | Kiuko Notoya | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When voters in Tokyo cast their ballot for governor of the world’s largest city on Sunday, they will be spoiled for choice. One who styles himself “the Joker” has proposed legalizing marijuana and says polygamy can address the nation’s declining birthrate. Another is a pro wrestler who hides his face on camera and vows to use artificial intelligence to complete governmental tasks. But in fact, the race is profoundly status quo and the incumbent is projected to win a third term. The proliferation of candidates reflects fatigue with politics as usual, and many of them are unserious attention seekers, creating a farcical, circuslike atmosphere and putting real change further out of reach.

Persons: ” Locations: Tokyo

And what everyone sort of expected to happen seems to be roughly what’s happening, which is that the populist right has consolidated a lot of support. So that’s sort of three-dimensional chess of one sort. That gets at the definition of populism, right? michelle cottleYeah, so but that kind of then lends itself to a backlash when you feel like things aren’t going right. carlos lozadaWell, I mean —ross douthatI think that’s all sincere.

Persons: lydia polgreen Ross, carlos lozada, lydia polgreen, michelle cottle, carlos lozada That’s, lydia polgreen That’s, Lydia Polgreen, michelle cottle I’m Michelle Cottle, ross douthat I’m Ross Douthat, carlos lozada I’m Carlos Lozada, We’ve, Ross, michelle cottle Woo, — ross douthat, lydia polgreen —, I’m, ross, — michelle cottle, ross douthat —, ross douthat, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Silvio Berlusconi, Giorgia, Meloni, Brexit, It’s, populists, ”, Lozada, it’s, don’t, we’ll, that’s, we’ve, JD Vance, He’s, — carlos lozada, polgreen, Trumpist, who’s, Vance, we’re, Trump, — michelle cottle Woo, carlos lozada —, —, decries, — ross, won’t, carlos lozada Well, carlos lozada Don’t, Don’t, it’s — michelle cottle, I’ve, Trumpism, Donald Trump, michelle cottle Huey Long, Carlos, William Jennings Bryan, Michelle, Huey Long, George Wallace, Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, Bernie Sanders, you’ve, Charles Coughlin, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Biden, unquote, nobody’s, he’s, JD Vance don’t, Robert Penn, Warren, Long, lydia polgreen Wow, ross douthat — Carlos Lozada, George Packer, lydia polgreen Go, carlos lozada Oh, that’s — carlos lozada —, lydia polgreen We’ll, carlos lozada It’s, lydia polgreen It’s Organizations: “ New York, Trump, Tories, National Health Service, Republican, Social Security, Republican Party, Chamber of Commerce, “ Times, Aspen Ideas, Nebraska Democrat, Tea Party, Occupy, Belt, Star Locations: “, Europe, France, United States, Italy, United Kingdom, South, British, Ohio, Middletown , Ohio, America, Sun Valley, Middletown, Louisiana, Alabama, China, Connecticut, Belt America, Florida , Texas, California, American, Texas, Mexico, Arizona

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea’s leader on Thursday said he plans to create a new government ministry to tackle the “national emergency” of the country’s infamously low birth rate as it grapples with a deepening demographic crisis. In a televised address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would ask for parliament’s cooperation to establish the Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter-planning. “We will mobilize all of the nation’s capabilities to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency,” he said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, on, May 9, 2024. Countries like South Korea, Japan and China, however, have shied away from mass immigration to tackle the decline in their working age populations.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Yoon Suk, Kyung, Fumio Kishida Organizations: South Korea CNN, of, South, AP, Korea, Families Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Japan, China

☆ Here's why Americans having fewer kids won't doom the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

America's falling population isn't necessarily bad for the economy, Fisher Investments said. The US birth rate just fell to its lowest level in over 40 years, according to provisional CDC data. AdvertisementAmericans aren't having nearly as many kids as they used to, but that won't be the blow to the US economy that many have feared, according to Fisher Investments. Related storiesBut fewer babies being born isn't necessarily a bad thing for the economy, the firm said. "Yes, falling birth rates could have negative long-run ramifications if a true reduction in human capital and other factors don't offset this.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, Fisher, Ken Fisher Organizations: Fisher Investments, Service, Centers for Disease, Bank

☆ Opinion | The Birth Dearth and the Smartphone Age
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

My newsroom colleagues Jason Horowitz and Gaia Pianigiani have a lovely report this week about family-friendly policies in the Italian province of Alto Adige-South Tyrol, which has the highest birthrate of any region in an aging, depopulating Italy. Their story is a portrait not just of a particular policy matrix but also the culture that policy can help foster. Some of what Carney describes is a set of habits that’s beyond the reach of policy. (I don’t think there’s much the government can do to persuade parents to “Have Lower Ambitions for Your Kids,” to select one of his more striking chapter titles.) But some of the sense of overwhelmingness that comes with modern parenting seems like it could be mitigated, not just through a once-a-year benefit or tax credit, but also through small consistent signals of support: the family discount on groceries, the convenient in-home child care option, the open play space, the flexible work space.

Persons: Jason Horowitz, Gaia Pianigiani, —, “, Tim Carney, conspires, Carney Organizations: Italy’s, ”, The Washington Examiner Locations: Italian, Alto Adige, South Tyrol, Italy

☆ China faces a reckoning as disillusioned Gen Z and millennial workers refuse to save for retirement: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

China's young people are abandoning retirement savings, The New York Times reported. The aging population and declining birthrate have intensified the pension crisis. A rapidly aging population, difficulties finding a job, and concerns about low pay are weighing on the minds of the country's young people. For some, that has led them to refuse to save for retirement entirely, according to an in-depth report in The New York Times. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Tao Swift Organizations: New York Times, Service, The New York Times, Times, Business Locations: The, Chengdu

☆ What Happened When This Italian Province Invested in Babies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a municipal building in the heart of the alpine city of Bolzano, Stefano Baldo clocked out of work early for his breastfeeding break. “It’s clear I don’t breastfeed,” Mr. Baldo, a 38-year-old transportation administrator, said in his office decorated with pictures of his wife and six children. But with his wife home with a newborn, one of the parents was entitled by law to take the time, and he needed to pick up the kids. But the Alto Adige-South Tyrol area and its capital, Bolzano, more than any other part of the country, bucked the trend and emerged as a parallel procreation universe for Italy, with its birthrate holding steady over decades. The reason, experts say, is that the provincial government has over time developed a thick network of family-friendly benefits, going far beyond the one-off bonuses for babies that the national government offers.

Persons: Stefano Baldo, Mr, Baldo, “, Giorgia Meloni, Pope Francis Locations: Bolzano, Italy, Europe, South Tyrol

☆ Russia is eyeing big tax hikes after this month's election to pay for the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin could raise taxes on high earners and companies after the country's election, Bloomberg reported. More tax revenue would pay for the war in Ukraine and fund some social programs. AdvertisementVladimir Putin could raise taxes after the presidential election this month to keep the money flowing to pay for the country's war in Ukraine. Russia's hefty spending on the Ukraine war since February 2022 is siphoning resources from the broader economy, with a 7.4% inflation rate and collapsing direct investment. Economists have warned that the country's economy cannot sustain the costs of either winning or losing the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, outflows Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Bloomberg Economics, Kremlin, Finance Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Three Is Best: How China’s Family Planning Propaganda Has Changed
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Isabelle Qian | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

One Three Is Best: How China’s Family Planning Propaganda Has ChangedFor decades, China harshly restricted the number of children couples could have, arguing that everyone would be better off with fewer mouths to feed. The government’s one-child policy was woven into the fabric of everyday life, through slogans on street banners and in popular culture and public art. Between 1980 and 2015, the year the one-child policy officially ended, the Chinese government used extensive propaganda to warn that having more babies would hinder China’s modernization. Then Now One child is best, the government aids in elder care. The pivot has prompted local officials to remove visible remnants of the one-child policy.

Persons: “, It’s, Critics, Marie Mathelin, Roger Viollet, Xilingjing Xiang Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, China Central Television, Getty Images Locations: Wuhan, China, People’s Republic of China, Bengbu, Anhui, Shanxi Province, Xilingjing

☆ The North Korean refugees sold to Chinese husbands
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

China considers North Korean refugees to be economic migrants, and forcibly deports them back to North Korea – where, as alleged defectors, they face imprisonment, possible torture or worse, activists say. During that period, she also met other North Korean refugees in the same situation – with their status public knowledge in the village, she said. According to the KFI report, the buying of a North Korean wife is “always known to the local community” but rarely reported to authorities. The other North Korean refugees she’d met in town had connections to brokers who could help them escape, while church organizations and non-profit groups discreetly helped raise funds for the journey. Brokers who remain have raised their prices due to increased risks and surveillance, while newcomers to the business are inexperienced, making it a risky gamble for North Korean refugees.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Chae, –, she’s, Yoonjung Seo, She’d, didn’t, “, ”, Chae, ” didn’t, Kim Jeong Ah, Kim, she’d, we’ll, ” Chae, Seo, Unification Ministry –, She’s, – she’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, CNN, North Korea –, Korea Future Initiative, KFI, US State Department, Human Rights Watch, Female North, United Nations, Liberty, Korean, Koreans, Unification Ministry, Brokers Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, China, Laos, Thailand, North Korean, Hebei, Beijing, London, Korea, Korean, North, ”, South, South Koreans

☆ China is getting hyped over a suggestion that people get more than 5 days of paid time off
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Current laws give employees five days of annual paid time off, which increases to 10 days after they have worked 10 years, and 15 days if they have worked for 20 years or more. Fok's proposal would let young workers scale their annual leave from five to 10 days until they hit the 10-year mark. His suggestion sparked hopes on Weibo, China's version of X, that the country might soon align with international paid leave standards. The International Labor Organization recommends three weeks of paid annual leave. AdvertisementShanghai-based outlet The Paper ran an informal poll on Tuesday, asking if its readers felt they could take vacation days.

Persons: —, Kenneth Fok, Fok, we've, Jack Ma Organizations: Service, People's, China Youth, International Labor Organization, China, Daily, Business, Ministry of Human Resources, Social Security, Pew Research Center Locations: China, Hong Kong, Kong, Beijing, Weibo, Shanghai

☆ Opinion | How to Fix the Crisis of Trust in Higher Education
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been keeping track of every report I see about major budget shortfalls at universities. Here’s a sampling:“SUNY Warns of Future $1B Deficit Without Higher Tuition or More Aid” — The Times Union, Jan. 2. “Penn State Plans Nearly $100M in Cuts for FY26 Budget” — Higher Ed Dive, Jan. 24. “As U. of Arizona Confronts Budget Cuts, Workers and Students Brace for the Worst” — The New York Times, Feb. 21. The other is the decline in Americans’ confidence in higher education.

Persons: I’ve, Brace, Sharon Otterman, Josh Moody, Ed Organizations: The Times Union, UConn, Connecticut, “ Penn, Workers, New York Times, Gallup Locations: Arizona, New York

☆ Millennials having fewer kids could be a drag on the economy for the next decade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the current trajectory, that's set to weigh on the economy for the next decade or more. AdvertisementMillennials aren't having as many kids as previous generations, and that fact could end up dragging down economic growth for more than a decade. "What you're talking about is these birth rates dropping very, very low levels, which over the course of time has huge impacts on the economy," Pomeroy said. The impact of millennials having fewer kids will likely be worse than the impact of aging boomers — and the most dire consequences could come 10-15 years from now, Pomeroy estimated. The most important thing to encourage people to have more kids might be a cultural shift in how we talk about children, Buchholz says.

Persons: Millennials, —, James Pomeroy, Pomeroy, Todd Buchholz, …, boomers, Buchholz, That's, DINK, " Buchholz, it's Organizations: Service, Centers for Disease Control, White House, Medicare, Social Security, CNBC, Sony PlayStation Locations: China, Japan, Russia

☆ China is one of world’s most expensive places to raise children, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, China was surpassed by India as the world’s most populous country. And while some women stop working entirely while raising their children, it makes returning to the workforce incredibly difficult. Women who have children may see a 12% to 17% drop in their wages, the report said, citing research from multiple papers. “Because the current social environment in China is not conducive to women’s childbirth, the time cost and opportunity cost for women to have children are too high,” the report said. The report warned that the falling birthrate could deeply impact economic growth, people’s overall happiness and China’s global standing.

Persons: “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Research Institute, Communist, Beijing Locations: Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Australia, France, United States, Japan, Communist China, India

☆ MSCI China Index: 66 stocks cut from benchmark amid stock market rout
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Global stock index compiler MSCI is deleting dozens of companies from its benchmark China Index, which could further exacerbate fund outflows from Chinese equities after a massive stock market rout. The index provider announced this week that it would drop 66 securities from the MSCI China Index, one of its flagship China indexes, as part of the company’s latest quarterly review. The MSCI China Index is the compiler’s key index tracking the Chinese stock market, covering about 85% of the total market capitalization of Chinese companies listed globally. On Monday, MSCI also announced changes to its other China-related indexes, including deleting dozens of stocks from MSCI China A Onshore indexes and MSCI China All Shares indexes. Hong Kong’s stock market reopened on Wednesday after a long holiday weekend, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index up 0.9%.

Persons: MSCI, ”, Luca Paolini, Hong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Global, Investors, Greentown China Holdings, Gemdale Corp, Uni, President, China Southern Airlines, Lufax Holdings, Genomics, Midea, MGI Tech, Management Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Fuyang, China's, Anhui, AFP, Hangzhou, President China, Beijing, Geneva, Mainland

☆ China's crashing birthrate will leave millions of teachers jobless in the coming years
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's birthrate has plunged, with the number of newborns in 2023 falling by 500,000, to about 9 million. AdvertisementDecades of China's one-child policy have created a demographic nightmare for the world's second-largest economy, and millions of school teachers could soon be left without a job as birthrates tumble. If those classes don't scale back, China could see a surplus of 1.5 million primary school teachers and 370,000 middle school teachers by 2035, according to a Tuesday report from the South China Morning Post. Last year marked the second consecutive year that China's population shrank, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics. Total primary school students, too, declined in 2022 for the first time in a decade.

Persons: China's birthrate, —, it's Organizations: Service, South China Morning, country's National Bureau of Statistics, Education, China National Academy of Educational Sciences, Terry Group, Terry, UN Locations: China, Beijing, Hangzhou

☆ China stock market: angry Chinese take to US Embassy’s social media account to vent about plunging shares
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

On Monday, mainland Chinese markets slumped again after their worst weeks in years. Under a Friday post by the US Embassy’s Weibo account about protecting wild giraffes, many Chinese people complained about the stock market rout and the challenging economy. “The US government, please help Chinese stock investors,” a user said in a repost of the animal protection article. Investors seemed to have shrugged off Chinese regulators’ latest pledge to bolster the stock market. On Sunday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission vowed to prevent “abnormal fluctuations” in the stock market and stabilize confidence.

Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Embassy, US, Weibo, Investors, China Securities, CNN Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Opinion | The Varieties of Anti-Natalism — and the Roots of a Demographic Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This week, The Financial Times featured an interview with the Finnish demographer Anna Rotkirch, discussing one of the more striking subplots in the widening drama of demographic decline: The sudden collapse of what had heretofore been seen as a pronatalist success story in the social democracies of northern Europe. That hope seems to be dissolving. As Darel Paul wrote in an essay for Compact magazine last week, Europe has suffered a “stunning fertility collapse” in the last decade, much of it concentrated in countries where the feminist egalitarian model was strongest. Finland is one of them: As The Financial Times notes, “despite all the support offered to parents,” the country’s birthrate “has fallen nearly a third since 2010,” and its birthrate is now barely above the lows of Italy. And I still think that: I’m very happy, for instance, that the House just passed a child tax credit expansion, because in an age of declining birthrates, every little bit helps.

Persons: Anna Rotkirch, Darel Paul, “, I’ve Organizations: Financial Times, Nordic Locations: Finnish, Europe, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, South Korea, Scandinavia, America

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